Arjun Raghunath
The New Indian Express
26 Feb 2011
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With just three days remaining from the new international terminal of the Thiruvananthapruam Airport to become operational, making arrangements for cargo handling on time proves a challenging task for the agencies concerned.
Even when the Airports Authority of India (AAI) claims that the terminal is ready for operations, several hurdles are there for the authorities to clear. Completing the construction of the temporary export facility near the new terminal building and getting Customs notification for the facility are the major challenges that are to be cleared in the next 72 hours.
If the export facility is not in place, the only option will be to go for a temporary embargo on export and import.
"We are really concerned whether the temporary export facility will be ready by March 1 as the work is progressing at a slow pace," said Agricultural Products and Processed Foods Exporters Association secretary Dil Koshy.
The public sector Steel Industrials Kerala Limited is carrying out the construction works.
The Kerala State Industrial Enterprises (KSIE), which runs the Air Cargo Complex, is, however, hopeful that the structure would be completed by March 1. "The temporary export facility being built at 4,000 square metres provided by AAI on lease will be ready by March 1. It will have X-ray and weighing facilities and there will be office room for Customs officials," said KSIE deputy general manager (Cargo) Abdul Rehman.
Obtaining Customs notification for the temporary export facility from the Commissioner of Customs and Central Excise is another hurdle. Airport Director G Chandramouli said that the KSIE was working on getting the Customs notification. KSIE officials said that they had already applied for the notification and it was expected to be obtained in two day’s time.
With Saturday and Sunday being holidays for Customs and Central Excise, further process for getting the notification could be expedited only on Monday, sources point out.
There are certain concerns regarding the movement of imported cargo as the Customs officials insist that the cargo that was unloaded from an aircraft should be taken to the existing cargo complex in closed trucks through the perimetre road of the airport.
However, Air India Thiruvananthapuram station manager Sivanath said that Air India, which was the ground handling agency ofr many airlines, would transport the imported cargo to the cargo complex.
A team of officials of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is expected to inspect the facilities in the airport on Saturday.
Another issue before the authorities pertains to loading problems. A section of the people, who were evicted for acquiring land for constructing the new terminal, had also staked claim for cargo loading activities. However, already there are loading workers at the cargo complex. Hence, the matter is pending before the Labour officer.
Being a prestigious project, all the agencies concerned are expected to take an all-out effort to ensure that the new terminal is thrown open to the public on March 1 evening, as scheduled.
Saturday 26 February 2011
Wednesday 23 February 2011
Enrolment to Aadhaar begins
Arjun Raghunath
The New Indian Express
23 Feb 2011
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Better late than never. After months of dilly-dallying, enrolment to the nation’s much-hyped Unique Identification (UID) project, popularly known as Aadhaar, will begin in Kerala on Thursday.
The launch of Aadhaar has been held up in the state over the past several months owing to certain issues, including the use of proprietary software for the project and concerns raised by various sections over the privacy of the personal data of individuals.
Many states, including the Communist-ruled Tripura and West Bengal, had already launched the enrolment to the project that aims at collecting personal and biometric details of all citizens and providing unique identification number to each individual.
Owing to mounting pressure from a section that is opposed to Aadhaar for ‘ethical and ideological’ reasons, the Kerala Government was forced to stall the launch of the project even in the last minute. Finally, on Tuesday, the Government gave the go-ahead after the political leadership waved the green flag.
"We had received various memorandums raising concerns about the Aadhaar project and hence we had to rethink before giving the go ahead," sources at the Chief Minister’s Office said.
The 2,000-odd Akshaya centres will be enrolling the citizens to the project. "We are all set to start the enrolment process on February 24. More than 200 Akshaya entrepreneurs had already undergone training from the UID Authority. We target to enrol at least 1.5 crore people in another 10 months," said Akshaya Director Korath V Mathew.
The initial roadblock for Aadhaar’s launch in Kerala was that the software used for the enrolment was proprietary software and it was against the free and open sources software policy of the state. The UID Authority had sorted out the issue by providing FOSS-based applications.
In the meantime, concerns about the privacy of Aadhaar had come up.
"Our major concern is with regard to the privacy of the information, including biometric details, of individuals that are being gathered. It is not limited to the state, but the concern has gathered momentum at the national level," said Free Software Foundation secretary Arun Madhavan.
There are also concerns about enrolment of students through the IT@School as a section feel that the information regarding students were being collected without their permission. However, IT Department sources said that there would be no compulsion on anyone to enrol in Aadhaar.
The Akshaya centres are expected to fetch a considerable revenue from the UID project as the UID Authority would be paying around Rs 35 for enrolling each person. The UID Authority had already allotted Rs 15 crore to the state.
The State Bank of Travancore is also planning to launch enrolment to Aadhaar in the state.
The New Indian Express
23 Feb 2011
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Better late than never. After months of dilly-dallying, enrolment to the nation’s much-hyped Unique Identification (UID) project, popularly known as Aadhaar, will begin in Kerala on Thursday.
The launch of Aadhaar has been held up in the state over the past several months owing to certain issues, including the use of proprietary software for the project and concerns raised by various sections over the privacy of the personal data of individuals.
Many states, including the Communist-ruled Tripura and West Bengal, had already launched the enrolment to the project that aims at collecting personal and biometric details of all citizens and providing unique identification number to each individual.
Owing to mounting pressure from a section that is opposed to Aadhaar for ‘ethical and ideological’ reasons, the Kerala Government was forced to stall the launch of the project even in the last minute. Finally, on Tuesday, the Government gave the go-ahead after the political leadership waved the green flag.
"We had received various memorandums raising concerns about the Aadhaar project and hence we had to rethink before giving the go ahead," sources at the Chief Minister’s Office said.
The 2,000-odd Akshaya centres will be enrolling the citizens to the project. "We are all set to start the enrolment process on February 24. More than 200 Akshaya entrepreneurs had already undergone training from the UID Authority. We target to enrol at least 1.5 crore people in another 10 months," said Akshaya Director Korath V Mathew.
The initial roadblock for Aadhaar’s launch in Kerala was that the software used for the enrolment was proprietary software and it was against the free and open sources software policy of the state. The UID Authority had sorted out the issue by providing FOSS-based applications.
In the meantime, concerns about the privacy of Aadhaar had come up.
"Our major concern is with regard to the privacy of the information, including biometric details, of individuals that are being gathered. It is not limited to the state, but the concern has gathered momentum at the national level," said Free Software Foundation secretary Arun Madhavan.
There are also concerns about enrolment of students through the IT@School as a section feel that the information regarding students were being collected without their permission. However, IT Department sources said that there would be no compulsion on anyone to enrol in Aadhaar.
The Akshaya centres are expected to fetch a considerable revenue from the UID project as the UID Authority would be paying around Rs 35 for enrolling each person. The UID Authority had already allotted Rs 15 crore to the state.
The State Bank of Travancore is also planning to launch enrolment to Aadhaar in the state.
Monday 21 February 2011
Despite fall in number of mishaps, death rises
Arjun Raghunath
The New Indian Express
21 Feb 2011
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Despite a decline in the number of accidents, the number of deaths in road accidents has shown an increase during the year 2010.
According to the figures available with the Police Department, while the number of accidents in 2010 came down by 387 compared to 2009, the number of deaths had gone up by 91.
A total of 3,922 persons lost their lives in 35,046 accidents in the State during 2010, whereas the corresponding figures for 2009 were 3,831 and 35,433.
‘’During 2010 there were many road accidents with mass causalities and hence the contradictory trend in the number of accidents and number of deaths,’’ IG Traffic S Gopinath said.
Over the past many years, the number of deaths in road accidents had been showing an upward trend. But, in 2009, the number of deaths showed a decline by 70 compared to 2008.
While the number of deaths in 2008 was 3,901 it came down to 3,831 in 2009.
The decline in the number of deaths was indeed a relief to traffic planners.
However, the number of deaths has once again
started showing the upward trend in 2010 thereby proving that the traffic awareness efforts initiated by government agencies and various NGOs are yet to bear fruit.
The Police Department has also pointed out that more than half of the road accident victims are in the age group of 20 to 55 and many are bread- winners of their families.
Hence, the increasing number of deaths in road accidents is becoming a social issue as well.
It is a matter of relief that the number of accidents as well as the number of injured have been showing a declining trend over these years.
According to the police, the major reasons for the increase in death rate are wrong, careless and rash driving habits, bad driving habits of heavy vehicle
drivers and bad condition of roads.
The increasing number of accident deaths is also attributed to the enormous increase in the number of vehicles.
However, compared to the increasing number of vehicles, the decline in the number of accidents is a positive sign, police sources said.
The New Indian Express
21 Feb 2011
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Despite a decline in the number of accidents, the number of deaths in road accidents has shown an increase during the year 2010.
According to the figures available with the Police Department, while the number of accidents in 2010 came down by 387 compared to 2009, the number of deaths had gone up by 91.
A total of 3,922 persons lost their lives in 35,046 accidents in the State during 2010, whereas the corresponding figures for 2009 were 3,831 and 35,433.
‘’During 2010 there were many road accidents with mass causalities and hence the contradictory trend in the number of accidents and number of deaths,’’ IG Traffic S Gopinath said.
Over the past many years, the number of deaths in road accidents had been showing an upward trend. But, in 2009, the number of deaths showed a decline by 70 compared to 2008.
While the number of deaths in 2008 was 3,901 it came down to 3,831 in 2009.
The decline in the number of deaths was indeed a relief to traffic planners.
However, the number of deaths has once again
started showing the upward trend in 2010 thereby proving that the traffic awareness efforts initiated by government agencies and various NGOs are yet to bear fruit.
The Police Department has also pointed out that more than half of the road accident victims are in the age group of 20 to 55 and many are bread- winners of their families.
Hence, the increasing number of deaths in road accidents is becoming a social issue as well.
It is a matter of relief that the number of accidents as well as the number of injured have been showing a declining trend over these years.
According to the police, the major reasons for the increase in death rate are wrong, careless and rash driving habits, bad driving habits of heavy vehicle
drivers and bad condition of roads.
The increasing number of accident deaths is also attributed to the enormous increase in the number of vehicles.
However, compared to the increasing number of vehicles, the decline in the number of accidents is a positive sign, police sources said.
Saturday 19 February 2011
Kerala: Jailed ex-minister escaped grave charges
Arjun Raghunath
The New Indian Express
19 Feb 2011
THIRUVANATHAPURAM: As he walks into prison, former minister and Kerala Congress(B) leader R Balakrishna Pillai can heave a sigh of relief as a number of serious charges against him in connection with the Idamalayar case are still remaining on paper.
During the probe into the irregularities in the award of contract for the Idamalayar project, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) had also unearthed various other anomalies, including corruption in the supply of cement, excess payment to the private company that constructed the dam and misuse of government vehicles.
In the chargesheet filed at the Idamalayar special court in 1991, the SIT had mentioned that the chargesheet pertaining to these additional charges will be filed in due course. However, in the next two decades those chargesheets haven't been filed for 'mysterious reasons'.
According to Yousuf Kunju, a retired Crime Branch SP who was a member of the SIT, the chargesheet that was filed in 1991 pertained to the irregularities in the award of the contract. During the probe it was also found that cement in large quantities, which was supplied for the project, was not used for the construction. Only 36 percent of the cement supplied was used for construction and the remaining was illegally diverted. It was also found that Rs 1.45 core was paid in excess to the private company which constructed the dam.
Four vehicles provided by the Canadian consultant for the project were also found to be misused. In the chargesheet, it was mentioned that chargesheet for these charges will be filed soon. Similarly, Gopalakrishna Pillai was also not chargesheeted at that time as the permission from the Centre was required, recalls Yousf Kunju.
However, no steps were taken to file those chargesheets thereafter and hence the accused were indeed spared of serious charges.
Sources said that the Justice K Sukumaran Commission, which probed into the Idamalayar scam, had also pointed out these irregularities.
Had these charges been chargesheeted, Balakrishna Pilli and the other accused would have faced severe conviction, the source said.
The New Indian Express
19 Feb 2011
THIRUVANATHAPURAM: As he walks into prison, former minister and Kerala Congress(B) leader R Balakrishna Pillai can heave a sigh of relief as a number of serious charges against him in connection with the Idamalayar case are still remaining on paper.
During the probe into the irregularities in the award of contract for the Idamalayar project, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) had also unearthed various other anomalies, including corruption in the supply of cement, excess payment to the private company that constructed the dam and misuse of government vehicles.
In the chargesheet filed at the Idamalayar special court in 1991, the SIT had mentioned that the chargesheet pertaining to these additional charges will be filed in due course. However, in the next two decades those chargesheets haven't been filed for 'mysterious reasons'.
According to Yousuf Kunju, a retired Crime Branch SP who was a member of the SIT, the chargesheet that was filed in 1991 pertained to the irregularities in the award of the contract. During the probe it was also found that cement in large quantities, which was supplied for the project, was not used for the construction. Only 36 percent of the cement supplied was used for construction and the remaining was illegally diverted. It was also found that Rs 1.45 core was paid in excess to the private company which constructed the dam.
Four vehicles provided by the Canadian consultant for the project were also found to be misused. In the chargesheet, it was mentioned that chargesheet for these charges will be filed soon. Similarly, Gopalakrishna Pillai was also not chargesheeted at that time as the permission from the Centre was required, recalls Yousf Kunju.
However, no steps were taken to file those chargesheets thereafter and hence the accused were indeed spared of serious charges.
Sources said that the Justice K Sukumaran Commission, which probed into the Idamalayar scam, had also pointed out these irregularities.
Had these charges been chargesheeted, Balakrishna Pilli and the other accused would have faced severe conviction, the source said.
Wednesday 16 February 2011
Kerala to take up allegations against judges with CJI
Arjun Raghunath
The New Indian Express
16 Feb 2011
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Government will be seeking a high-level probe by the apex court into the allegations that two former judges of the Kerala High Court had accepted bribe to derail the investigation into the infamous ice cream parlour scandal involving former Minister and Indian Union
Muslim League (IUML) leader P.K.Kunhalikutty.
The state government will be writing a letter to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) seeking appropriate action, preferably a high level
judicial probe, into the allegations that justices K.Narayana Kurup and K.Thankappan had accepted a bribe of about Rs. 40 lakh to derail a
CBI probe into the ice cream parlour case.
Former Additional Director-General of Prosecutions K C Peter, in a recent sting operation by a television channel, had revealed that the two judges, Justice K Narayana Kurup and Justice K Thankappan, accepted bribe from Kunhalikutty’s co-brother K A Rauf for dismissing a plea for a CBI probe into the ice cream parlour case in 2007 after a lower court acquitted all the accused in the case.
Peter had later disowned the report and both the judges denied having accepted bribe.
‘’The allegations against the two judges are very serious in nature as it has cast a shadow over the entire judicial system of the country and hence, we are taking up the matter with the CJI,’’ Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told ‘Express’.
‘’Once we gather sufficient evidence with regard to the allegations, we will write to the CJI,’’ Kodiyeri said.
A special investigation team led by Additional DGP (Crimes) Vinson M Paul had already started a probe into the fresh revelations in the case.
‘’Media reports alone could not be considered as evidence. Hence, once the SIT gathers sufficient evidence, the government will be writing to the CJI along with the evidence seeking a probe into the matter,’’ Kodiyeri said.
The SIT had already interrogated Rauf and Kunhalikutty in connection with the fresh revelations in the case. Rauf had earlier said that he would hand over all the evidence to the police regarding the attempts made to derail the investigation, including that of bribing the judges.
Meanwhile, Kodiyeri said that the allegations of amassing of wealth by the close relatives of former CJI K G Balakrishnan, as well as the revelations by Congress leader K Sudhakaran MP, that he had witnessed a judge accepting bribe, would not be brought to the notice of the apex court at this point of time as the state government had already initiated separate investigations into the issues.
The New Indian Express
16 Feb 2011
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Government will be seeking a high-level probe by the apex court into the allegations that two former judges of the Kerala High Court had accepted bribe to derail the investigation into the infamous ice cream parlour scandal involving former Minister and Indian Union
Muslim League (IUML) leader P.K.Kunhalikutty.
The state government will be writing a letter to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) seeking appropriate action, preferably a high level
judicial probe, into the allegations that justices K.Narayana Kurup and K.Thankappan had accepted a bribe of about Rs. 40 lakh to derail a
CBI probe into the ice cream parlour case.
Former Additional Director-General of Prosecutions K C Peter, in a recent sting operation by a television channel, had revealed that the two judges, Justice K Narayana Kurup and Justice K Thankappan, accepted bribe from Kunhalikutty’s co-brother K A Rauf for dismissing a plea for a CBI probe into the ice cream parlour case in 2007 after a lower court acquitted all the accused in the case.
Peter had later disowned the report and both the judges denied having accepted bribe.
‘’The allegations against the two judges are very serious in nature as it has cast a shadow over the entire judicial system of the country and hence, we are taking up the matter with the CJI,’’ Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told ‘Express’.
‘’Once we gather sufficient evidence with regard to the allegations, we will write to the CJI,’’ Kodiyeri said.
A special investigation team led by Additional DGP (Crimes) Vinson M Paul had already started a probe into the fresh revelations in the case.
‘’Media reports alone could not be considered as evidence. Hence, once the SIT gathers sufficient evidence, the government will be writing to the CJI along with the evidence seeking a probe into the matter,’’ Kodiyeri said.
The SIT had already interrogated Rauf and Kunhalikutty in connection with the fresh revelations in the case. Rauf had earlier said that he would hand over all the evidence to the police regarding the attempts made to derail the investigation, including that of bribing the judges.
Meanwhile, Kodiyeri said that the allegations of amassing of wealth by the close relatives of former CJI K G Balakrishnan, as well as the revelations by Congress leader K Sudhakaran MP, that he had witnessed a judge accepting bribe, would not be brought to the notice of the apex court at this point of time as the state government had already initiated separate investigations into the issues.
Saturday 12 February 2011
Technical snag at Tvm airport ATC raises concern
Arjun Raghunath
The New Indian Express
12 Feb 2011
THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Technical snags are not new to the ATC at Thiruvananthapuram airport.
In December, when Congress president Sonia Gandhi came to the state capital to pay homage to former Chief Minister K Karunakaran, her flight had to be delayed for 17 minutes on account of a technical snag at the ATC.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) headquarters had even sought an explanation from the ATC on the matter, highly placed sources in the AAI told Express.
According to sources, over the last few years, officials with the Thiruvananthapuram ATC had given repeated requests to the higher-ups pointing out the need to replace the existing system that has become outdated.
However, there has been no response yet even after the ATCs in other parts of the country were supplied with modern equipment.
Director-General of Civil Aviation E K Bharathbhusan said he would look into the matter immediately.
“So far, the issue has not come to my attention.
ATC is a very important area in aviation, and we often ensure that modern systems are in place at the ATCs,” he told Express over phone.
In June last, a Jet Airways flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Chennai had narrowly missed a collision with an Air India Chennai-Madurai flight by around 10 nautical miles after the two aircraft had fallen on a grey area of the radar.
A timely instruction from the ATC helped avert a major mid-air collision.
The repetition of such incidents has not prompted the authorities in updating the systems in the Thiruvananthapuram ATC, that covers 200 nautical miles.
The existing systems in the Thiruvananthapuram ATC were installed way back in 1994.
Most of the equipment here have become outdated and are beyond repair.
Though a new air traffic control tower has been planned for the Thiruvananthapuram airport, it is still remaining on paper.
Besides hese, the Thiruvananthapuram ATC is also suffering from manpower shortage, sources say.
The New Indian Express
12 Feb 2011
THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Technical snags are not new to the ATC at Thiruvananthapuram airport.
In December, when Congress president Sonia Gandhi came to the state capital to pay homage to former Chief Minister K Karunakaran, her flight had to be delayed for 17 minutes on account of a technical snag at the ATC.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) headquarters had even sought an explanation from the ATC on the matter, highly placed sources in the AAI told Express.
According to sources, over the last few years, officials with the Thiruvananthapuram ATC had given repeated requests to the higher-ups pointing out the need to replace the existing system that has become outdated.
However, there has been no response yet even after the ATCs in other parts of the country were supplied with modern equipment.
Director-General of Civil Aviation E K Bharathbhusan said he would look into the matter immediately.
“So far, the issue has not come to my attention.
ATC is a very important area in aviation, and we often ensure that modern systems are in place at the ATCs,” he told Express over phone.
In June last, a Jet Airways flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Chennai had narrowly missed a collision with an Air India Chennai-Madurai flight by around 10 nautical miles after the two aircraft had fallen on a grey area of the radar.
A timely instruction from the ATC helped avert a major mid-air collision.
The repetition of such incidents has not prompted the authorities in updating the systems in the Thiruvananthapuram ATC, that covers 200 nautical miles.
The existing systems in the Thiruvananthapuram ATC were installed way back in 1994.
Most of the equipment here have become outdated and are beyond repair.
Though a new air traffic control tower has been planned for the Thiruvananthapuram airport, it is still remaining on paper.
Besides hese, the Thiruvananthapuram ATC is also suffering from manpower shortage, sources say.
Sunday 6 February 2011
Victims’ kin yet to get compensation
Arjun Raghunath
The New Indian Express
06-Feb-11
THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Although the shock over the Pulmedu tragedy is gradually fading, the solatium announced by the state government seems to be eluding the dependents of the 102 victims of the tragedy thanks to red tape.
It was on January 14 that a stampede occurred at Pulmedu near Kumily in Iduk
The New Indian Express
06-Feb-11
THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Although the shock over the Pulmedu tragedy is gradually fading, the solatium announced by the state government seems to be eluding the dependents of the 102 victims of the tragedy thanks to red tape.
It was on January 14 that a stampede occurred at Pulmedu near Kumily in Iduk
Tuesday 1 February 2011
No legal hurdles to launch fresh probe: Experts
Arjun Raghunath
01 Feb 2011
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the fresh revelations about the role of IUML leader P K Kunhalikutty in the ice cream parlour case, there are no legal hindrances for the government to go in for a fresh probe against the former Minister. It is even possible to reopen the case, even though all the accused in the case have been acquitted by the court, say legal experts.
As per the law, a person who is either sentenced or acquitted in a case should not be subject to prosecution again. However, since the name of Kunhalikutty had not figured either in the First Information Report or the chargesheet of the ice cream parlour case, this legal protection is not applicable for him, according to legal experts.
“In the wake of the fresh revelations regarding the involvement of Kunhalitutty in the case, the police could suo motu register a case against him. Besides the sexual harassment charges, there is also scope for framing charges of influencing witness in a case as well as forgery, “ leading lawyer Cherunniyoor Sasidharan Nair said. The Kozhikode police have already registered a case against Kunhalikutty and Rauf for influencing the witnesses.
Congress MLA and lawyer George Mercier said that though there would be practical difficulties in reopening the ice cream parlour case, the government could order a probe against Kunhalikutty under Section 201 of IPC.
A senior IPS officer as well as a senior judicial officer with the State Government also shared the same opinion. Though Kunhalikutty’s name figured during the investigation into the case, he was not implicated in the case owing to the lack of evidence, especially after the change in the statement of Rejina who was one of the key witness in the case.
It is also pointed out that there are legal provisions to reopen the case by considering it as a rarest of rare ones. However, it may involve a tedious and time-consuming legal battle to reopen the case, the legal experts said.
“After obtaining sufficient evidence about the manipulations which had taken place in the case, the government could approach the Supreme Court seeking reopening of the case. However, there are chances of all those who have been acquitted in the case objecting to this and hence it will be a long and tedious legal battle. Hence, a better option before the government will be to initiate a fresh probe,” said Sasidharan Nair.
01 Feb 2011
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the fresh revelations about the role of IUML leader P K Kunhalikutty in the ice cream parlour case, there are no legal hindrances for the government to go in for a fresh probe against the former Minister. It is even possible to reopen the case, even though all the accused in the case have been acquitted by the court, say legal experts.
As per the law, a person who is either sentenced or acquitted in a case should not be subject to prosecution again. However, since the name of Kunhalikutty had not figured either in the First Information Report or the chargesheet of the ice cream parlour case, this legal protection is not applicable for him, according to legal experts.
“In the wake of the fresh revelations regarding the involvement of Kunhalitutty in the case, the police could suo motu register a case against him. Besides the sexual harassment charges, there is also scope for framing charges of influencing witness in a case as well as forgery, “ leading lawyer Cherunniyoor Sasidharan Nair said. The Kozhikode police have already registered a case against Kunhalikutty and Rauf for influencing the witnesses.
Congress MLA and lawyer George Mercier said that though there would be practical difficulties in reopening the ice cream parlour case, the government could order a probe against Kunhalikutty under Section 201 of IPC.
A senior IPS officer as well as a senior judicial officer with the State Government also shared the same opinion. Though Kunhalikutty’s name figured during the investigation into the case, he was not implicated in the case owing to the lack of evidence, especially after the change in the statement of Rejina who was one of the key witness in the case.
It is also pointed out that there are legal provisions to reopen the case by considering it as a rarest of rare ones. However, it may involve a tedious and time-consuming legal battle to reopen the case, the legal experts said.
“After obtaining sufficient evidence about the manipulations which had taken place in the case, the government could approach the Supreme Court seeking reopening of the case. However, there are chances of all those who have been acquitted in the case objecting to this and hence it will be a long and tedious legal battle. Hence, a better option before the government will be to initiate a fresh probe,” said Sasidharan Nair.
Govt may allow freehold rights within SEZ limits
Arjun Raghunath
The New Indian Express
30 Jan 2011
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The much-delayed Smart City Kochi project is finally seeing a ray of hope as the State Government is learnt to have reached an understanding with the
Dubai-based promoters of the project to allow freehold rights over 12 percent of the land earmarked for the project.
The land, however, will be inside the Special Economic Zone.
The SEZ rules did not allow selling of the land within the SEZ limits at a later stage and by allowing freehold on land within the SEZ limits, the State Government hopes that it will not be possible for TECOM authorities to sell the land at a later stage. The decade-long efforts to set up the Smart City project has been held up over the demand by the Dubai-based TECOM for freehold of over 12 percent of the land earmarked for the project, outside the SEZ limits.
Allegations
The firm demand by TECOM for freehold of land outside the SEZ limits had also led to allegation that TECOM had a hidden agenda to sell off the land.
Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan had even openly alleged that Tecom was trying to carry out a real estate business under the cover of the Smart City project.
Role of interlocutor
Sources said that as a result of the deliberation by NRK businessman M A Yusuf Ali with the officials of the Dubai Supreme Fiscal Committee, the TECOM has informally agreed for freehold land within the SEZ.
Red carpet welcome on February 2
A formal decision in this regard is likely to be reached at a meeting scheduled to be held between Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan and Supreme Fiscal Committee member of the Dubai Government Ahmad Humaid Al Tayer here on February 2.
The State Government has invited Tayer for the talks and he is being accorded a red-carpet welcome as a State guest.
The background
Around 246 acres of land in Kochi have been earmarked for the Smart City Kochi project.
TECOM has been insisting on freehold on 12 percent of the land, which comes to about 30 acres.
Though the State Government had issued repeated ultimatums to TECOM to proceed with the project, they were still sticking to the demand for freehold over land outside the SEZ limits
The New Indian Express
30 Jan 2011
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The much-delayed Smart City Kochi project is finally seeing a ray of hope as the State Government is learnt to have reached an understanding with the
Dubai-based promoters of the project to allow freehold rights over 12 percent of the land earmarked for the project.
The land, however, will be inside the Special Economic Zone.
The SEZ rules did not allow selling of the land within the SEZ limits at a later stage and by allowing freehold on land within the SEZ limits, the State Government hopes that it will not be possible for TECOM authorities to sell the land at a later stage. The decade-long efforts to set up the Smart City project has been held up over the demand by the Dubai-based TECOM for freehold of over 12 percent of the land earmarked for the project, outside the SEZ limits.
Allegations
The firm demand by TECOM for freehold of land outside the SEZ limits had also led to allegation that TECOM had a hidden agenda to sell off the land.
Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan had even openly alleged that Tecom was trying to carry out a real estate business under the cover of the Smart City project.
Role of interlocutor
Sources said that as a result of the deliberation by NRK businessman M A Yusuf Ali with the officials of the Dubai Supreme Fiscal Committee, the TECOM has informally agreed for freehold land within the SEZ.
Red carpet welcome on February 2
A formal decision in this regard is likely to be reached at a meeting scheduled to be held between Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan and Supreme Fiscal Committee member of the Dubai Government Ahmad Humaid Al Tayer here on February 2.
The State Government has invited Tayer for the talks and he is being accorded a red-carpet welcome as a State guest.
The background
Around 246 acres of land in Kochi have been earmarked for the Smart City Kochi project.
TECOM has been insisting on freehold on 12 percent of the land, which comes to about 30 acres.
Though the State Government had issued repeated ultimatums to TECOM to proceed with the project, they were still sticking to the demand for freehold over land outside the SEZ limits
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